1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus configured to communicate with an image forming apparatus allowing an application program to be installed thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in most cases, software for an image processing apparatus is installed on a real-time operating system (hereinafter referred to as an “RTOS”) as static and fixed firmware. If such firmware includes a plurality of modules, such firmware is stored in a non-volatile memory of an image processing apparatus while being statically linked, as a whole, to a single load module.
When the ROTS is activated, such firmware is loaded from a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk, onto a random access memory (RAM) to be executed or is executed directly on a non-volatile memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM).
In an image processing apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-282684 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-256216, another software operation environment is provided on and in addition to an RTOS of firmware for a built-in system. Thus, an image processing apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-282684 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-256216 supports dynamic characteristics of software, such as dynamic loading, dynamic linking, and dynamic memory operation, in the additionally-provided software operation environment.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-53132 discusses a method using an application-download type printer containing a network computer. The method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-53132 downloads a data file to be printed and an application program compliant with the data file from a computer network onto the printer. Furthermore, the method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-53132 activates the application program on the network computer to open the data file and convert the data file into a raster image. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-53132 further discusses a network computer-installed printer, which prints the data file, and a computer network system including the printer. Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-53132 discusses a method using “Java® applet” as the application program.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-287990 discusses a method for installing an application on a device by accessing the device via a web browser and uninstalling the installed application therefrom. However, in a case where a plurality of image forming apparatuses exists on a network and an application program is to be introduced and installed on each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, the following problems may arise.
That is, an administrator of the system may bear a heavy burden to install an application program on each image forming apparatus. Furthermore, considerable time may be required to install an application program on all of the image forming apparatuses.
Furthermore, in a case where the application program was installed on all of the image forming apparatuses, in order to use the installed application program under a business environment, it is necessary to perform settings for each application program.
In this regard, in performing a setting for the application program installed on an image forming apparatus, it is necessary for an administrator to know what type of application program was installed on which image forming apparatus on the network. The same applies in the case of changing the settings after installation of the application program.
Moreover, it is necessary for an administrator to know what type of application program is installed on which image forming apparatus on the network. In addition, it is necessary for an administrator to select each image forming apparatus, which is a setting file transmission destination, and to perform processing for transmitting a setting file to each selected image forming apparatus. As described above, with the conventional method described above, an administrator may be required to bear a heavy burden.